The Spare Queen
by AsheliaHime
Summary: AU where Anna couldn't chase Elsa down and bring her back. The queen lost her mind, they said. She didn't know who spread that rumour, but she assumed to know it.


**note:** Meme time on my rp account again. I wanted to write something dark for a long time now, but I'm not sure I succeeded. Comments are appreciated!  
**prompt: **

» Lived long enough to become the villain. «

* * *

Elsa left the Coronation party without warning or hints of returning.

"I have to find her!" Anna announced determined while she pulled away from Hans, who tried to hold her back. All his reasons of "It's too dangerous" and "The kingdom needs you" were left unheard, when Kai got her horse. Leaving Hans in charge of her kingdom, she rode into the white unknown winterland.

If she was honest to herself, Anna knew that this was meant to fail from the start. She barely knew this place, it was getting dark and it was freezing cold in her summer dress. Stubborn as she was she refused to go back till she found Elsa though.  
That decision almost costed her life, when the blizzard got worse.

Luckily she was found by a guard soon enough, but she was tied to her bed for a week then, not able to chase Elsa any further.  
When she snuck out that one day, she overheard the servants speaking.

"That's outrageous. After years, Arendelle should've been able to finally rise to the level of the other kingdoms, but our queen is revealed to cast an eternal winter and ruins us all."  
"The king should have prevented this."

Anna bit her lip, not wanting to hear anymore of this. What would happen now, she wondered. She wasn't taught to be queen, Elsa was. Everyone knew about her clumsiness and her inability to reign. She barely was good enough to be a princess by birth right.  
A hand touched her shoulders. Caught by surprise, the tears sprang to her eyes.  
"Anna?", Hans asked worried "Why aren't you in your bed-?"  
He just finished his sentence when Anna ran into him, hugging him tightly and crying her eyes out.

"Elsa will come back, right? She won't leave me just like this. She can't do this to me. After all these years…", she sobbed into his chest.  
Slowly Hans put her arm around her, giving her the support and proximity she needed.  
"Tell me, she'll return!", Anna pleaded, raising her teary eyes to look in his face "Hans, _please!_"

But his mouth remained shut, till she cried herself to sleep.

—-

Three years passed and there wasn't a sign of the former queen when the bells announced the new crowning of a queen. It was a sad day, but happy times were rare anyway. Most days were grey and cold, despite the white ground decorated by snow. Rumors told that Arendelle had been cursed by Elsa, but Anna forbid any bad mouthing as soon as she heard it.

The princess who was once the spare to the kingdom, watched her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were dull and her clothing darker than the days she survived. There were no happy colours that used to characterize her so well. It reminded her of the day her parents were buried.  
She ignored the knocking on her door, just staring at herself. She became a beautiful woman despite the sadness reflecting in her every move and word. She was still small compared to others, especially Hans, but that was okay and she wouldn't want to have it any other way. The wrinkles around her mouth nearly faded. She couldn't even remember when she had truely laughed for the last time. Maybe it was the time when she asked Elsa for her blessing. When she thought she had finally found her true love and marry him like in one of those fairy tales.  
But her life didn't go that way.

Hans entered her room and cleared his throat. So he was the one who had knocked.  
To be honest, Anna was still confused why he stuck with her when a sunny life on the southern isles was waiting for him. Especially when she corrected her answer to his proposal. There was no way she would marry anyone, while her sister was lost. Maybe he still waited for her opinion to change, because he knew deep down she wanted to marry him. Maybe he waited for the time when loneliness got the best of her and she would give in. She would lie if she said, there weren't times like this, but she always reminded herself that she was stronger than this. That she wouldn't abadone the last member of her family and create a new one.

"Anna, it's time", his familiar voice got to her.  
She gave a little nod, turning to him and linked arms with him, so he could accompany her to the church.

The place wasn't like she remembered it three years ago. There were no children playing or cheering for the new queen. Instead they watched her suspicious. Elsa made their heart weary in giving them someone to fear instead of the warm queen they had expected. But neither Elsa or Anna were like their parents, too scarred was their past.

The ceremony dragged on, the words rang hollow in her ears, while old accusations bubbled inside her mind. _She vowed to do the best for our country. How am I supposed to do what she failed at?_

Finally the crown was put on her head and the royal insignia were handed to her. Straightening her back, she faced the crowd for the first time as Anna Marie, the Queen of Arendelle.  
Hans kneeled down to her side, then everyone else followed to bow before her.

—-

The music at the coronation party was accompanied by the sound of heavy rain outside. It was a rare event for rain come down when it was cold enough to snow. Maybe that's why people thought of it as a good sign for Anna's reigning time, even though she wasn't the warm princess or didn't possess the magic powers to stop this winter.

No one dared to approach her, except for formal etiquette, but she was fine with it. She was queen now. The thought was still strange, not fitting into her tiny world.

It was when she tried to escape the whole charade, that she noticed the noise at the entrance.  
"What's happening here?", she demanded to know when they saluted in her presence.  
"It's nothing, your majesty", the one with a hat replied. Anna had always loved the hats of the guard because they were so big that it looked stupid.  
Another one coughed unsure. "B-But… shouldn't we tell her about…?" he whispered, meant to go unheard by her.  
"Nothing?", she repeated, giving him a chance to correct himself.  
"W-Well, Prince Hans is already taking care of the villager. He said he got information of former queen Elsa's whereabouts."

Anna frowned at this. After telling her where they were, she found herself running down the hall.  
Someone knew where Elsa was? So after all she was alive! There was still a chance to find her. Maybe she was lost, but Anna could find her still.

She slammed the door open, leaving both men in surprise for a moment. Breathing heavily, she approached the blonde man who was even taller than Hans: "You know where my sister is?"  
He nodded briefly. That was enough for her.

—-

The queen lost her mind, they said.  
She didn't know who spread that rumour, but she assumed to know it. Only a few people knew that she had planned to go on a trip with the stranger who introduced himself as ice harvester named Kristoff, to find her sister.

For days now, scared villager were visiting her about trivial things, maybe thinking they could stop her by keeping her busy. They should've known better.

When Anna got on her horse, there was a crowd in front of the castle blocking the way. She was sure it was Hans' doing, who wanted her to stay still and quiet on the throne, forgetting about Elsa.  
To her amusement, he wasn't among the faces.

"Queen Anna!", they called when the gates were finally opened. Their begging was in chaos, difficult to relate them to single voices.  
"Please, don't leave!"  
"Don't go!"  
"We need you here!"  
"Don't leave us."  
"Don't you bring that monster back."

Angered by the words, she glided down her horse.  
"Who dared to say that?" she snapped "Who dares to call my beloved sister a monster?"

—-

Anna never thought that the day would come, when blood stained her hands. But when the people stood up and questioned her beliefs, she had to make an example for them.

"My sister is not a monster", she claimed as she sentenced the first man to death.

_… but maybe I am becoming one._


End file.
